Murder suspect Na’Ziyah Harris for hearing, no trial decision yet

DETROIT (FOX 2) – Jarvis Butts, the man accused of sexually assaulting 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris and then killing her when she became pregnant, returned to court Friday for the start of his preliminary hearing.

Butts, 41, appeared in court on Friday for his preliminary hearing, but no trial decision had been made despite several hours of testimony – much of which was graphic and involved sex crimes against children.

Harris was last seen getting off a bus at Cornwall and Three Mile in Detroit on January 9, but never returned home. Her body was never found and Butts was eventually charged with her murder.

Cordell Wright, a former co-worker of Butts, testified that the two were together and Butts introduced Harris as his niece.

Wright also testified that he left Butts and Harris in the auto shop where they worked that evening. The next day he said Butts didn’t come to work.

Prosecutors allege Butts got the 13-year-old pregnant and then killed her — there was additional testimony from minors that he had molested other children.

During the day his indictment, he was also accused of sexually assaulting two other children, including his own daughter and the daughter of an ex-girlfriend.

Prosecutors also played a recording Butts made behind bars when he called Wright and asked him to contact the mother of his children, Na’ziyah’s aunt, to retrieve his phone.

“I want you to call her and take my truck over there and get my phone out of that brother in the backseat,” Butts said in the recorded conversation.

Wright testified that he looked for the phone but couldn’t find it. Prosecutors say the information on that phone will help prove their case, saying Butts groomed Harris, had sex with her and looked for ways to abort the unborn baby.

Butts will return to court in January for the continuation of his hearing.

Timeline of Na’Ziyah Harris’ disappearance

The prosecutor’s office provided a rough timeline of the day Harris disappeared.

• Na’Ziyah took the school bus to school.

• She had her hair in two braided buns, clear rimmed glasses, a white sweater with a black jacket over it, a colorful Rugrats puffy jacket with a fur-lined hood, light blue jeans, and Nike shoes.

• There is a video of Na’Ziyah getting on the school bus.

• Na’Ziyah used a DPS-issued tablet with which she communicated and interacted with an app.

• She took one last photo of herself on the tablet.

• Using her tablet, she sent a message to a device linked to Butts, indicating that they would meet after she got home from school that day.

• There is a video of her coming home from school in the same clothes at the end of the day.

• She meets Butts and a co-worker and heads back to their car repair shop on Connor in Detroit.

• Na’Ziyah is seen by Butts’ sister in the store.

• Butts, the coworker, and Na’Ziyah were together in the coworker’s car when they went to Ypsilanti and then returned to the store on Connor. Butts’ phone places him in these locations.

• At 9:30 PM to 12:20 PM, Butts checked into a motel. There is a receipt confirming this, as well as his phone placing him in that location.

• Na’Ziyah is never seen again after January 9, 2024.

An earlier version of this story indicated Butts was scheduled to appear in court. His trial has not yet been determined.